Race Enters Maryland Gubernatorial Contest

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland's Attorney General Douglas Gansler told campaign volunteers that his rival in next year's Democratic gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, is relying on his race to get elected.

The Washington Post reports that the comments were captured on a recording of a July 15 meeting in Annapolis provided to the newspaper by someone not employed by either campaign.

Recording

On the recording, Gansler says Brown's "campaign slogan is 'Vote for me, I want to be the first African American governor of Maryland."' He calls that a "laudable goal," but says Brown needs to back that up with accomplishments.

Gansler's campaign didn't dispute the comments, but accused Brown's campaign of recording the comments illegally. Brown's campaign denies any involvement, but calls the comments "out of touch with Maryland values."